


Chance Encounter

by Arcticmist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, On the Run, Post-Episode: s09e20 The Truth (Part 2), Pre-I Want To Believe, X-Files OctoberFicFest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8397304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcticmist/pseuds/Arcticmist
Summary: While on the run, Scully has a chance encounter with Bill, in which she attempts to explain her life decisions.  But, in the end, was sacrificing everything really worth it?  How can she possibly ease the nagging doubts and fear flooding her mind?Written for OctoberFicFest.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own the X-Files.
> 
> This story is rated T for suicidal thoughts and actions. 
> 
> This was also based off an anonymous tumblr prompt.

       From the moment she spotted her older brother in the gas station convenience store, Scully dropped her intended purchases and hurried towards the door.  Even though her hair was dyed, she figured Bill could easily spot her.  Terrified, her mind raced with thoughts of the danger her family would be in if any interaction was discovered.

       “Dana?”  Bill inquired as he walked towards the woman, “It’s been years…”

       Scully hesitantly looked at her brother, “I…  I’m sorry.  My name’s not Dana.”

       Her brother shook his head, “You look just like her.”

       “Who are you talking about?”

       “My little sister, Dana Scully, although she had red hair the last time I saw her.”

       “I’m sorry you haven’t seen your sister in a long time, but I’m not her,” Scully considered claiming one of her many aliases.  However, her current fake identity eluded her.  Keeping track of these things constituted a nearly impossible task.

       Hastily, Scully headed out the door.  She saw Tara and Matthew sitting in a nearby silver car.  Scully’s heard panged with thoughts of her family.  None of them deserved this.

       “Dana,” Bill spoke calmly as he walked through the door, “I know it’s you.  I’ve always been able to tell when you’re lying.”

       “Bill, you can’t be seen with me.  If anyone finds out, you’ll all be in danger.  I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you, Tara, Matthew, Mom, Charlie-to any of you because of me.”  Scully whispered.

       “Do you think I don’t know what I would be legally expected to do right now?”  Bill replied in a hushed tone.  “I would never do that to you.  You’re my sister.  I couldn’t live with myself.”

       “I know,” Scully replied, “and that’s precisely why I’m worried.”

       “What are you doing here?”

       “I was going to buy toothpaste.  What about you?”

       “Rest stop on our way to the beach for vacation,” Bill explained.  “Dana, are you still with _him_?”

       The displeased tone in Bill’s voice as he referred to Mulder stung deeply.  He had never liked Mulder, and Scully was certain that her brother’s disdain for her partner had only grown with time.  The hot July sun beamed down on the siblings, adding the vague discomfort that lingered in the humid air.

       “Yes.  Look, I know you’re worried about me…”  Scully began.

       “Worried?”  Bill interrupted.  “Worried doesn’t even begin to cover it.  Ever since you met him, it’s been one thing after another.  I want the best for you.  I want you to be happy.  You’re too good for him.”

       “I’m an adult.  I can make my own decisions.”

       “You always did have a rebellious streak, Dana.  Look, they might be willing to drop the charges if you…”

       “Stop right there.  I’m not turning him in.  I’m not letting him die.  Bill, he’s innocent.”

       “Well, I was thinking more along the lines of leaving him.”

       “I couldn’t.  I would never forgive myself for abandoning him.”

       “Is this life really appealing to you?  Running around the country with your fugitive lover who, regardless of your opinions on his innocence, is still technically a convicted murderer after you gave up your son.  You know, Mom’s never really gotten over losing William.  And, when you left, it only got worse.”

       “Don’t mention William,” Scully warned.  “I did that to protect him.  It hurts me every day, but I can’t undo the past.”

       “Well, I’m sure whatever life he’s leading now would be preferable to this.”

       “You know nothing about my life.”

       Bill sighed, “Dana, you can’t honestly be happy with life on the lam.  I know that.  In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve known you your entire life.”

       “I have Mulder.  That’s all I need,” Scully repeated the mantra she designed for the moments when she felt as if she could not continue.  Scully continued, “I’ve made my choices.  And I live with them every day.  I love you all, but please don’t tell anyone other than Tara and Matthew about our meeting.  I know you don’t want to see me in an orange jumpsuit caged in a call for years.  The only way that scenario ends involves my dead body hanging from a bedsheet.  I’ve thought about it a lot.”

       Stunned, Bill gazed at Dana.  He couldn’t fathom the dark words flowing matter-of-factly through his baby sister’s mouth.  She wouldn’t actually consider killing herself.  Would she?

       “I can’t see you taking your own life,” Bill spoke as he worried about his sister’s mental stability.

       “When I learned about his sentence, I wanted to die alongside him.  I just wanted to end my suffering.  I saw no reason for life.  You don’t know what you’re capable of doing until that situation arises.”     

       “Dana, that’s not healthy.  Do you need help?”

       “No.  I appreciate your concern, but I haven’t had those specific thoughts in a long time.  I just know how I would react if I lost him because I have lived through this death once.  When he died, the only thing keeping me going was my unborn child.  There’s nothing like that for me know if they execute him.  Look, Bill, I’m glad you, Tara, and Matthew are doing well.”

       “You’ve been gone for so long, we all miss you.”

       “I miss everyone too, but I really have to go.  I know you don’t like him, but I love him deeply.  I have for years.  And I’m not about to throw away that relationship.”  Scully said.  Quickly, she walked over to her stolen car and drove off.  Bill considered following her, but realized the dangers that would potentially entail.  With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he watched his intelligent, younger sister drive off.

       Inside the car, Scully felt guilty as she reflected on the curt manner in which she treated her elder brother.  However, how dare he speak of Mulder that way?  Fox William Mulder certainly was not perfect, but she had never loved anyone else so deeply.  Their bond defied definition.  He was exhausting at times, yes, but he was also brilliant and dedicated.  She never understood why her brother couldn’t see all of Mulder’s positive qualities.  Of course, none of that mattered anymore.

       Ignoring Mulder as she walked through the door, Scully trembled uncontrollably.  She didn’t want him to know, wanted to spare him from her pain. 

       “Are you okay?”  Scully heard Mulder ask as she walked into the bathroom and gently closed the door.  Salty tears stung her eyes.  Seeing her brother reminded Scully of the gravity of their situation.  She could never be Dana Katherine Scully again.  That old live only lingered in her memories as a ghost. 

       Slipping out of her plain clothes, Scully entered the sower.  Water cascaded down her back as she began to sob.  What if someone saw them?  Bill, Tara, and Matthew would never betray her.  But Mulder and Scully had powerful enemies who would not hesitate to crush her relatives as if they were bugs instead of human beings.  It would be her fault, all her fault.

       She had undeniably failed everyone.  Thank god her father and Melissa had not lived to see her in this state.  The rest of the Scully family lived, yet were lost to her.  Would they even want her back in their lives? 

       Through her tears, the formerly redheaded woman barely noticed Mulder walk into the bathroom.  He shuts off the water, gently guides Scully out of the shower, and wraps a towel around her body.  They silently stand there for an eternity.  No words are necessary. 

       “I saw him,” Scully finally whispered.

       “Who?”

       “My brother, Bill.  He recognized me.”

       “Did he say anything bad about us?”  Mulder inquired, wondering if that was the problem.

       “He did, but that’s not why… why I’m upset,” Scully whispered as Mulder gently guided her to the bed.  Enveloped tightly in his arms, Scully rested her wet hair upon his chest.

       In recent weeks, Scully clearly had been growing increasingly miserable.  There had been far too many nights where Mulder awoke to see his partner sobbing in a fetal position, the burden provided by years of traumatic experiences threatened to crush her.  He hated that she felt this way, but more than that he hated himself for his failures to protect Scully and help her cope.  Wasn’t he a psychologist?  Shouldn’t he be able to do something for the woman he loved when she suffered in the throes of PTSD? 

       “Mulder,” Scully mumbled, “I…I don’t want anything to happen to them.  They saw me…  What if that’s used against them?  I’ve caused my family so much pain and suffering ever since I gave our son up…  All I’ve done is hurt them…  William….”

       “Shhh…  William’s safe now because of what you did.  You had his best interests in mind.  I miss him every day, too.  You have to stop beating yourself up over it.”

       “And by giving him up… Sine I gave him up…  I can’t protect him…  He was my only chance to be a mother…  And I robbed them of a grandson, a nephew, and a cousin,” Scully sobbed.  “And then I ran off with you…  I…  I don’t regret it, but knowing I became a fugitive must be terrible.  I only hurt people…”

       “That isn’t true, Scully.” 

       “I just…”

       “I know you’re scared for their safety,” Mulder spoke.  He didn’t care to know why Scully’s brother and his family were here of all places.  That didn’t matter.  All that mattered lay weeping in his arms. 

       “I know Bill won’t turn us in.  But, in that, he could damn himself.  I know he doesn’t like you, but…”  Scully broke off, unsure what to say.

       “He blames me for corrupting you,” Mulder said.  “Well he didn’t like me in the first place.  Still, I don’t think my reputation in the extended Scully family improved after I didn’t make an honest woman of you the second I learned you were pregnant with my child.  They probably think I should’ve screamed, ‘Marry me, please!’” 

       Scully chuckled half-heartedly, “Well, I certainly don’t mind.  That’s what matters.  We’re in love, and we don’t need a ceremony and paper work to validate it.”

       Mulder nodded, “Are you sure that’s not just because we can’t get married without exposing ourselves?”

       “Yes,” Scully breathed, “I’ve been through so much with you.  I think that gives us all the validation we need.  A lot of people would disagree, but none of that matters.” 

       Mulder whispered, “I love you.  And I know what it’s like to not have a family.”

       “I have you,” Scully replied, “And I love you, too.”

       “I know.  I’ll contact Skinner to let him know what happened.  He’ll make sure they’re all safe.  It’s going to be alright.”

       “I can only hope.”


End file.
